Machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms



Jan. 14, 1941. E. M. WADSWORTH MACHINE FOR APPLYING PRESSURE TO SHOE BOTTOMS Filed Opt. 19, 1939 2 SheetsSheet 1 //VVE/V7[7%7 ZM M. Mam fl 442 My Jam 1943. E. M. WADSWORTH 2,228,426

MACHINE FOR APPLYING PRESSURE To SHOE BOTTOMS Filed 0a., 19, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 2.

Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES MACHINE FOR APPLYING PRESSURE T SHOE BOTTOMS Eliot M. Wadsworth, Boston, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. J.

Application October 19, 1939, Serial No. 300,194 7 9 Claims.

This invention, relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and is illustrated herein as embodied in a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms.

One well-known type of machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, either for cement attachment of soles to shoes or for the purpose of laying soles prior to the permanent attachment thereof to the shoes, is illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,047,185, granted July 14, 1936, upon application of M. H. Ballard et al. In this type of machine, a shoe and sole supporting pad is provided for supporting the shoe and sole for the pressing operation. Toe and heel abutments for engaging the forepart of the upper and the heel end of the last are carried by a swinging frame and are supported thereby at one side of the pad when the shoe is presented thereto. After the shoe has been placed on the pad, the frame is swung toward the pad to a position in which the abutments carried thereby are located over the shoe. These abutments are then moved toward the shoe to press the shoe against the pad with a heavy pressure firmly to unite the shoe and sole or to impart the desired shape to a previously attached sole as in a leveling operation.

While the prior machine is well adapted for use on low shoes, some difficulty has been experi-' enced in the use of the machine where the shoe being operated upon is a high shoe such as a mans work shoe, wherein the upper extends a considerable distance above the cone of the last. When operating upon a shoe of this type it"is necessary for the operator to hold the upper outward and downward away from the cone of the last so that the heel end abutment may approach the heel end of the last and move against the same without touching the upper material, since if pressure is applied through the material of the upper at the heel end of the last, there is great danger that the upper will be damaged thereby. The operation of holding the upper out of the path of movement of the heel end abutment entails considerable care on the part of the operator with a resultant loss of time.

One of the objects of the'present invention is the provision of means which renders unnecessary this manipulation of the upper by the operator when the machine is operating on high shoes. To this end the invention provides an arrangement whereby the heel end abutment is presented toward the operator and the last is presented thereto, the heel end abutment and shoe then being swung into position over the pad and the forepart of the upper located below the toe abutment.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention a last pin support is pivotally connected to the pressure applying member about an axis extending longitudinally of the pad and is urged toward the operator to facilitate the placing of the last thereon. The support includes a telescopic connection which is normally 7 extended by means of a spring and which is contracted by the operator to facilitate swinging the last over the pad. The spring then urges the last into engagement with the pad so that it is held in place thereon and pressure is then applied to the toe abutment and to the heel end of the last through this last pin support which thus forms a heel abutment. The last pin is connected to the last pin support by means of a hinge near the lower end thereof so that the bottom of the shoe may be moved into parallelism with the pad further to facilitate the positioning of the shoe on the pad.

These and other features of the present invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when read in connection 5 with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a machine in which the present invention is em- 30 bodied; and

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the illustrated mechanism taken at the right ofFig. 1.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine 'of the type shown in the Ballard et al. patent referred to above, the drawings illustrating one station of such a machine. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited in its application to a machine of this type. The pad box It containing a pad against which the shoe and sole are pressed is illustrated as being of the type shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,063,041, granted Decemher 8, 1936, on an application filed in the name of L. G, Knowles. A toe abutment I2 is carried by a bracket [4 mounted on a slidable shaft l6, which shaft is urged upwardly by means of a spring H8. The upper end of the shaft [6 is guided by means of a crosshead2il connected to uprights 22 and 24 and a second crosshead 2|, 50 (Fig. 2) guides the lower end of the shaft. Journaled on a shaft 26 supported bythe uprights 22 and 2 is a lever 28, the forward end of which bears against the bracket l4 and the rear end of which is arranged to be engaged by an equal- 5 izing lever 38 connected to the piston of an hydraulic cylinder 32 (Fig. 2), as fully disclosed in the aforementioned Ballard et a1. patent. As

the piston of the cylinder 32 moves upwardly,

the forward end of the lever 28 forces the bracket I4 downwardly against the force of the spring I8 to move the toe abutment I 2 against the forepart of the shoe S supported on the pad box II].

A bracket 34 carrying a heel abutment forming a last pin support, indicated generally by the reference character 36, is mounted on a slidable shaft 38 similar to the shaft I6 supporting the bracket I4 carrying the toe abutment I2. A spring 39 urges the shaft 38 and bracket 34 upwardly. The bracket 34 extends upwardly a greater distance than the bracket I4 to provide the necessary space for the heel abutment 36. A lever 40, also journaled on the shaft 26, engages the upper end of the bracket 34, the rear end of this lever being arranged to be engaged by the equalizing lever 38 and to be moved upwardly by the piston in the cylinder 32, as explained fully in the Ballard et al. patent.

The heel abutment 36 comprises a last pin 42 arranged to be inserted in the thimble of a last L, the last pin having an enlarged flange portion 44 which engages the cone of the last adjacent to the thimble. The last pin 42 is hinged at 46 to a cylindrical supporting member 48. A leaf spring 50 carried .by the cylindrical member 48 acts on the last pin to move it into the position illustrated wherein the last pin is in axial alinement with the cylindrical member 48. The member 48 is bored longitudinally for a portion of its length and is slidably mounted on a supporting rod 52, the member 48 and the rod 52 thus forming a telescopic supporting member for the last pin. The member 48 is urged downwardly with respect to the rod 52 by means of a spring 54 acting between an enlarged head portion 56-of the supporting rod and the upper end of the cylindrical member 48. Relative movement between the cylindrical member 48 and the rod 52 is limited by a pin 58 carried by the rod and movable in a slot 68 in the wall of the cylindrical member 58.

The head 56 of the rod 52 is hinged at 62 to a support 64 carried by the bracket 34 the axis of the hinge extending lengthwise of the pad box I8. The support 64 is slidably received .by the bracket 34 and a set screw 66 co-operates therewith to prevent the support from sliding off the bracket. A tension spring I0 is connected at one end to the bracket 34 and at the other end is connected by means of a screw I2 to the head 56 of the rod 52 to bias the rod and associated structure to the broken line position of Fig. 2. The hinge 46 between the last pin and the cylindrical member 48 is oppositely disposed with respect to the hinge 62 so that when the heel abutment is in the broken line position illustrated in Fig. 2, movement of the last pin about the hinge 46 against the force of the spring 50 will permit the last pin 42 to be moved to a vertical position. The length of the last pin support when fully expanded is greater than the distance between the support 64 and the cone of a last when supported on the pad box I8, the purpose of which will appear hereinafter.

In the use of a machine embodying my improved heel end abutment or last pin support, the heel end abutment will be in the broken line position of Fig. 2 prior to the placing of a shoe on the pad box Ill. The heel end abutment at this time extends toward the operator so that the foot opening of the top of a high shoe may be passed over the last pin and the thimble of the last L within the shoe may be engaged by the last pin 42. The operator will exert a force on the last pin through the shoe to force the cylindrical member 48 upwardly against the force of the spring 54 to contract the telescopic last pin support so that the shoe may clear the pad box III as the heel end abutment 36 is moved by a force exerted through the shore to the full line position against the tension of the spring I8. After the shoe has been moved over the pad the operator will permit the shoe to be moved downwardly against the pad by the spring 54, the spring forcingthe shoe against the pad sufiiciently to prevent the heel end abutment 36 from moving back to the original position under the action of the spring I8 since the length of the last pin support when fully expanded is greater than the distance between the support therefor and the cone of the last on the pad box. As the shoe is thus moved onto the pad the toe end thereof moves under the toe abutment I2 so that the shoe is now in position to have pressure applied thereto through the toe end abutment I2 and the heel end abutment 36 by the piston of the cylinder 32. When pressure is applied to the shoe by the heel abutment, the spring 54 will be compressed until the lower end of the rod 52 engages the bottom of the bore in the member 48. When operating on shoes of large sizes the operator may cause the last pin 42 to move to a vertical position after the last has been inserted over the last pin so that the bottom of the shoe will be parallel wih the pad box, to eliminate interference between the bottom of the shoe and the side of the pad box as the shoe is moved into position thereover. The provision of this hinged connection between the last pin and the cylindrical member 48 obviates the necessity of offsetting the lever 34 to a greater extent than that illustrated for the purpose of adapting a machine fitted with the heel end abutment of the present invention for the largest sizes of shoes.

After the pressure has been applied to the shoe and then released by the cylinder 32, the operator will apply a slight upward pressure upon the shoe to move it upwardly against the force of the spring 54 whereupon it will be moved away from the pad box and toward the operator by the spring I0 and it may then be readily removed from the last'pin 42.

The employment of a last pin and support therefor as described herein overcomes the neces sity of moving the top part of the upper where it projects above the cone of the last so that it will not be engaged by the heel end abutment. In the machine of the Ballard et a1. patent, the uprights corresponding to the uprights 22 and 24 move away from the operator following completion of a pressing operation, to carry the toe and heel end abutments away from the position over the pad box to facilitate the placing of the sole of the shoe on the pad and the locating of the shoe with respect to the sole. As the operator moves the uprights to bring the toe and heel abutments over the shoe, he must move that portion of the upper projecting above the last out of the path of the heel abutment when a high shoe of the type illustrated is being operated upon. Such an operation entails considerable careful attention and loss of time on the part of the operator which is eliminated by the present invention. In sole laying, movement of the abutments out of position over the pad is unnecessary since the sole and shoe are relatively located before placing them in the machine andare handled together by the operator in placing them on the pad. This ordinarily requires bothhis hands and hence it is inconvenient for him to .move the abutments into position over the pad. Accordingly, in the present construction the uprights 22 and 24 are locked against movement toward and away from the pad box by means of nuts I6 and 18 threaded on rods Bil connected to the uprights and passing through ears 82 secured to the sides of the cylinder 32.

While the invention is illustrated in connection with a pad box which is not provided with gages for insuring the proper relative positions of the sole and upper, such gages being unnecessary in a sole laying operation for example, it should be understood that the invention is equally applicable in connection with a pad box provided with such gages, these being commonly employed in cement sole attaching operations, as illustrated in the patents referred to herein.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member movable toward and away from said pad for pressing a shoe against a sole supported on said pad, an extensible heel abutment pivoted to said member for movement from a position directly over said pad to a position to one side thereof, and a spring acting at all times to maintain the length of said heel abutment greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction.

2. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member movable toward and away from said pad for pressing a shoe against a sole supported on said pad, an extensible heel abutment pivoted to said member about an axis extending lengthwise of said pad for swinging movement from a position directly over said pad to a position to one side thereof, and a spring acting to maintain the length of said heel abutment greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction.

3. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member for pressing a shoe against a sole supported on said pad, an extensible heel abutment pivoted to said member about an aXis extending lengthwise of said pad for swinging movement from a position directly over said pad to a position to one side of said pad, a spring urging said heel abutment to said last-named position, and a spring acting to maintain the length of said heel abutment greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction whereby the spring will force a shoe against the pad and overcome the tendency of the firstnamed spring to move the heel abutment to the last-named position.

4. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member for pad, an extensible heel abutment pivoted to said memberabout an axis extending lengthwise of said pad for, swinging movement from a position directly over said pad to a position at one side of said. pad, and a last pin pivotally connected to the lower end of said heel abutment.

5. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member'for pressing a shoe against a sole supported on said pad, an extensible heel abutment pivoted to said member about an axis extending lengthwise of said pad for swinging movement from a position directly over said pad to a position to one side of said pad, a last pin pivotally connected to the lower end of said heel abutment, a spring urging said heel abutment away from the position directly over said pad, and a spring acting to maintain the length of said heel abutment greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction whereby the spring will force a shoe against the pad and overcome the tendency of the firstnamed spring to move the heel abutment to the last-named position.

6. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a toe abutment, means for maintaining said toe abutment in position over said pad, a heel abutment, means for pivotally supporting said heel abutment about an axis extending lengthwise of said pad for swinging movement from a position directly over said pad to a position to one side thereof, a spring urging said heel abutment away from its position directly over said pad, and means for exerting pressure through said toe abutment and said heel abutment on a shoe supported on said pad.

7. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member for pressing a shoe against the sole supported on said pad, a heel abutment pivotally carried by said member for transmitting pressure from said member to the heel end of a last, said heel abutment being pivoted about an axis extending lengthwise of said pad, said heel abutment comprising a pair of telescopic members having limited movement toward and away from each other, and a spring normally maintaining said heel abutment extended to a length greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction.

8. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which a shoe is to be pressed, a member for pressing a shoe against the sole supported on said pad, a heel abutment pivotally carried by said member for transmitting pressure from said member to the heel end of a last, said heel abutment being pivoted about an axis extending lengthwise of said pad, said heel abutment comprising a pair of telescopic members having limited movement toward and away from each other, a spring normally maintaining said heel abutment extended to a length greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction, and a last pin pivotally carried by the lower end-oi said heel abutment.

9. In a machine for applying pressure to shoe bottoms, a pad for supporting a sole against which pressing a shoe against a sole supported on said a shoe is to be pressed, a member for pressing a shoe against the sole supported on said pad, a heel abutment pivotally carried by said member for transmitting pressure from said member to the heel end of a last, said heel abutment being pivoted about an axis extending lengthwise of said pad, said heel abutment comprising a pair of telescopic members having limited movement toward and away from each other, a spring normally maintaining said heel abutment extended to a length greater than the distance between said member and a last supported on said pad previous to movement of said member in pressure applying direction, a last pin pivotally carried by the lower end of said heel abutment, means urging said heel abutment to one side of said pad, and a spring normally maintaining said last pin in alinement with said heel abutment.

ELIOT M. WADSWORTH. 

